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2014 SOTF-TV Seasons
Season Thirty-Three Dates: ''' Spring 2014 '''Winner: '''Lara Oliver (no kills) by Laurels)]] '''Runner Up: Alyssa Raleigh (seven kills) Third Place: Cam Holloway (two kills) Location: The White Mist Ski Resort in Colorado. Situated in the Rocky Mountains, White Mist featured a large hotel, several ski slopes and lifts, a spa and salon, a campground, nature and hiking trails, and a shopping center. Notable Participants: *''Lara Oliver'' (winner, no kills): The winner of Season Thirty-Three, Lara was a gentle and caring girl. Having decided to take a vow of nonviolence at the start of the game, Lara spent her time avoiding conflict and trying to do her best to help her peers instead of killing them. She did, however, keep herself safe by staying close to people who could fight and were more willing to take arms against aggressive contestants. Lara ultimately won the game without injuring anyone or taking any lives, earning the nickname "Lucky Lara." *''Alyssa Raleigh'' (runner-up, seven kills): A quiet and jittery girl, Alyssa was the season's most prolific killer. Alyssa got her first kill within minutes of waking up in the resort and would continue to play for all four days of the season. Although she received notable injuries, losing several of her fingers at one point, Alyssa never lost momentum and continued to kill right until the end. *''Cam Holloway'' (third place, two kills): One of the more heroic students in the game, Cameron "Cam" Holloway was a charismatic and intelligent girl who attempted to plot an escape. When her plan failed, resulting in the deaths of all her allies except Lara, Cam changed her focus to surviving as long as possible. While this did lead to some moral clashes with Lara, Cam remained with the girl until the end. *''Tracy Pickman'' (fourth place, four kills): A popular cheerleader back in Austin, Tracy was a notable late game player. Having spent the first three days laying low, Tracy scored her first kill defending herself from Beatrice Logan. After killing Jonah Lucas and entering Endgame, Tracy became much more notable for taking actions that led to the deaths of Cam and Alyssa, and thus to Lara's victory. *''Tyler Robb'' (twenty-third place, two kills): One of the more intelligent students of the season, Tyler was recruited by Cam to help disable the collars as part of the escape plot. Upon causing Bert Camden's death by collar explosion, Tyler snapped, killing another ally before being executed by Cam. This would bring Cam's attempts at escape to a premature stop. *''Jésica Lopez'' (thirty-third place, no kills) : An athletic girl and member of Cam's alliance, Jésica was one of Cam's best friends and one of the stronger members of the group. While she was ultimately gunned down by Alyssa, Jésica's actions did help ensure Lara's survival, while also crippling Alyssa and reducing her status as a threat. Summary: For the thirty-third season of SOTF, a class of fifty students from Austin, Texas were taken and sent to the White Mist Ski Resort in situated in Colorado's Rocky Mountains. Although the game took place during the Spring, the mountainous location made for a very cold and dangerous arena, and thus students were issued jackets to handle the weather. White Mist was sealed in by the surrounding mountains, and the arena's boundaries were in many cases difficult to discern, with students having to rely on their collars to know how far they could venture down some of the slopes and trails. Immediately on the first day, Season Thirty-Three's most prolific killer came into prominence. Alyssa Raleigh was terrified upon learning she had been chosen. Alyssa was known for being easily frightened and paranoid back at school, and immediately fell into a panic upon realizing her situation. Within seconds of discovering her assigned weapon, a machete, Alyssa slashed open the chest of the just-awakening Hugh Darmody, despite the boy being unarmed and nonthreatening. Alyssa would then kill Clea Jeffries and severely injure Monica Rommel before the first announcement, establishing herself as one of the most dangerous people right out of the gate. On the other hand, some students were more interested in helping others. Lara Oliver woke up near one of the hiking trails and vowed to hold to her nonviolent principles in the game. She soon discovered Bert Camden, who had slipped down a path and sprained his ankle. Lara, who had first-aid training and aspired to be a paramedic, helped Bert get back on his feet and got him to safety and shelter in the basement of the hotel. They were soon found by Cam Holloway and her group, who were plotting an escape. Cam had found four other students (Jésica Lopez, Tyler Robb, Damien Shafer, and Tomás Gutierrez) and convinced them that their best option was to find a way out of the game without playing. The group was decently armed, and Tyler knew a bit about mechanics so hoped to figure out the collars. While Bert didn't have much to contribute, Lara offered her services to help any injured students and made her participation contingent upon Bert's inclusion. While Cam, Tyler, Bert, and Tomás remained to work on the collars in the safety of the hotel's boiler room, Jésica, Damien, and Lara went out to find other students, with an eye towards helping and recruiting as many as possible. After the conclusion of an action-filled first day, the class had been brought down to thirty-four surviving students. Hunter Gibbons kicked Edgar Norris into one of the hot springs, resulting in Edgar's death due to the boiling temperatures. Mercy Chavez and her friend, Sandra Peters, were attacked by Brynn Oxley, who shot Sandra. Mercy attempted to escape Brynn by riding a sled down the slope, but crashed into a rock, catapulting her down the slope to her death. Many students were trying to avoid the most obvious shelter in the resort, feeling that they would be safer staying clear of their peers, but the ensuing struggles for cold weather supplies resulted in further deaths. A few other students developed frostbite and at least three died from exposure. In the early hours of the second day, Alyssa managed to kill another student and trade her machete for an uzi. While wandering around the shopping center afterwards, she came across Jésica, Damien, and Lara and opened fire. Damien was killed immediately while the girls took shelter. Jésica offered to draw out Alyssa so Lara could escape, a plan which proved successful, although Jésica was mortally wounded in the process. Before dying, Jésica was able to inflict a severe hand injury on Alyssa, blowing off three of the girl's fingers. Back with the escape group, Tyler felt he was close to figuring out the collars. Before he could put his plan into action, Cam momentarily left the boiler room, seeking some sign of the recruitment group, who had by now been gone for some time. While she was gone, Tyler finished his work and announced that he had figured out a way to disable the collars. Bert offered to be the test subject, since his sprained ankle made him unsuited for much other contribution. Tyler tried to put his plan into action, but he had misjudged the collars' mechanism and accidentally detonated Bert's collar, injuring his hands in the process. Tyler and Tomás got into a heated argument that escalated into violence when Tomás called Tyler a murderer and slashed at him with a knife. Tyler managed to overpower and fatally stab Tomás just as Cam returned. Upon seeing Bert and Tomás dead, she realized the plan had failed. Tyler tried to reason with Cam, arguing that they would still all make it out fine and that he'd merely encountered a minor setback. Refusing to acknowledge their deaths, Tyler's mental deterioration became clear, his aggression increasing with any references to their being beyond help. In response, Cam raised her gun and shot Tyler in the head, putting him out of his misery. Cam and Lara reunited shortly after, each revealing that their group had been destroyed and their plans had failed. Cam decided to give up on escape, lacking Tyler's technical know-how, but offered to protect Lara as much as she could. Lara accepted this, and the two moved on. By this point, two days had passed, and the original group of fifty students had been reduced to twenty-two. Alyssa spent most of the day hiding in a hotel room to recover from the loss of her fingers. However, the action didn't lull here; Hunter Gibbons and Brynn Oxley had an altercation in the campground and managed to kill one another. The couple of Linda Hartford and Jackson Davis, upon being overwhelmed by the constant death toll, opted to hang themselves in the hotel lobby. Their corpses left a harrowing image for anyone entering or leaving the hotel. Similar incidents continued steadily throughout the day. By the end of Day Three, only nine students remained. Lara and Cam discovered Brody Harper after he survived a brutal encounter with Alyssa. Brody weakly warned them of her, but despite Lara's best efforts, he passed away from the injuries he'd sustained. It was then that Cam and Lara had the greatest conflict born of their contrasting philosophies. Lara still refused to fight or take up arms, not willing to become violent and still upset she couldn't save Brody. Cam, on the other hand, was more willing to accept the inevitability of having to fight for their survival, stating that she wouldn't murder but would absolutely kill in self defense. Although the girls failed to agree on a course of action, each steadfastly clinging to her own philosophy, they remained together. A few hours later, the announcements revealed that the numbers had been dwindled down to five students, and that Endgame would be held in the hotel courtyard. This left Cam, Lara, Alyssa, Tracy Pickman, and Shawna Lindquist to fight for the win early in the morning on the fourth day. In the courtyard, Tracy, who had spent most of the game in hiding before scoring two quick kills in the hours prior to Endgame, attacked Cam and Lara, leading the girls to flee from her. Cam made a fighting retreat, while Lara peeled off, taking cover in a stand of juniper bushes. At the same time, Alyssa found Shawna—one of the robbers from earlier in the game—leading to a brief fight between the two girls. Shawna was dispatched easily, and Alyssa followed after the sound of Cam and Tracy's fight. However, this would prove to be a mistake for Alyssa. One of Tracy's bullets went wide and hit Alyssa in the lower chest just as the girl came upon the firefight. Alyssa tried to power through the injury, but before she could retaliate, Cam managed to gain the upper hand and shoot Tracy in the face, though she too had sustained major wounds from Tracy's attack. Alyssa and Cam locked eyes and stumbled towards each other, but never came into actual conflict. Cam was unable to hold her gun steady; she dropped it to the dirt and collapsed a second later. Alyssa smirked and moved to finish the downed girl, but found her own wounds too severe; she stumbled and fell herself, soon lapsing into unconsciousness. Both girls quickly bled to death, with Cam's demise preceding Alyssa's by about a minute. Some time after the sounds of violence ceased, Lara, still hiding in the juniper bushes, was declared the winner of Season Thirty-Three. Legacy: *Rated as: Average *Season Thirty-Three was seen as a fairly interesting season. White Mist was seen as a unique location that led to some very interesting deaths from the environment, particularly those of Edgar Norris and Mercy Chavez. The season was also noted for having some iconic traditional heroic and villainous archetypes in Cam Holloway and Alyssa Raleigh, each earning a notable fanbase as the game progressed. *"Lucky" Lara Oliver is a very divisive character among fans. Compared to contestants like Cam and Alyssa, Lara was fairly unpopular during the game. Her vow of nonviolence led to her being seen as dull and uninteresting compared to the more active students surrounding her. The fact that Lara survived numerous encounters that resulted in the deaths of much more beloved contestants like Jésica and Cam also soured some fans on her, with many calling her extremely cowardly or hypocritical for her willingness to let others die for her while refusing to compromise her own morals. Her victory is especially irksome to many fans, as Lara ultimately won due to everyone else in Endgame dying while she hid without having to do anything herself, leading to debates about whether she "deserved" to win or not. While Lara does have a few fans who like her for sticking to her values, allying with more capable contestants, and strategically retreating and hiding when confronted with danger, she is ultimately seen as one of the lesser winners in the show's history due to her moralizing, her game play, and her actions since her victory. *Since winning, Lara has been a vocal advocate against SOTF. She has appeared decrying the show wherever possible and has published articles and essays promoting nonviolence and alternate paths of play in SOTF, earning herself marked criticism from both fans of SOTF (who view her as out of touch) and the show's opponents (many of whom view her as entitled, hypocritical, or both). She has also successfully trained as a paramedic, a position she now works in Austin. Lara married in 2018, and a year later, she gave birth to a daughter, Cameron. *The death of Jonah Lucas at sixth place meant Season Thirty-Three had an all-female endgame. * Announcer Bill Naylor quietly left following this season. It is rumoured there was a contractual dispute leading to this abrupt departure, but Naylor has not subsequently disclosed any issue with the show or its executives. Suggested by: Laurels Season Thirty-Four Dates: Summer 2014 Winner: Lily Harper (four kills) Runner Up: Lana Robertson (five kills) Third Place: Sofie van der Werff (no kills) Location: Cherry Acres Family Amusement Park in Cherrywood, Ohio. Notable Participants: *''Lily Harper'' (winner, four kills) – The winner of Season Thirty-Four, Lily was her school's cheerleading team captain and held dreams of being a pro cheerleader. She led a group of other cheerleaders seeking to survive, but was soon forced into action when her alliance was destroyed by a player. Lily's game was marked by attempts at heroics and honorable action, with very mixed results. *''Lana Robertson'' (runner up, five kills) – The class valedictorian, Lana Robertson surprised everyone by turning to playing almost immediately. Lana was the biggest villain of the season, and her actions were among its most driving forces. *''Sofie van der Werff'' (third place, no kills) and Rupert Collins (eighth place, one kill) – A pair of athletes (swim team for Sofie, basketball for Rupert), Sofie and Rupert had dated before the game but broke up when Rupert was caught cheating. The duo reunited, and the circumstances of the game forced them into a partnership and a romantic arc. They also had an impact on several of the season's other major contestants. *''Davis Parker'' (fourth place, two kills) and Leif Chambers (fifth place, two kills) – A pair of slackers, Davis and Leif had agreed to support one another and survive the game together. Despite their bizarre mannerisms and tactics, were generally successful, and together made it to Endgame, where their partnership came to a surprising end. *''Tamara Glenn'' (fifteenth place, no kills) – A quiet artist, Tamara knew she didn't have the physical skills or weaponry of some of her peers, and so decided to play a stealthy, survivalist game. This strategy turned Tamara into one of the most unlikely threats in the game. *''Dewey Tremaine'' (eighteenth place, no kills) – A student with a reputation for being weird and creepy, Dewey attempted a survivalist playstyle. His results, however, made him more a memetic figure of unintentional comedy than a serious contender. *''Ethan Wallace'' (twenty-seventh place, five kills) – A tragic contestant, Ethan had hoped to survive the game with his girlfriend, Bailey Patrick, but her death at the hands of Stuart Stromme put an end to that dream. This caused Ethan to go off the deep end and become a player himself, ultimately pushing Lily into action. *''Donna Radford'' (twenty-eighth place, no kills), Verna Trenton (twenty-ninth place, no kills), and Clementine Dawson (thirtieth place, no kills) – Lily's friends and the members of her alliance, Donna, Verna, and Clementine were all members of the cheerleading squad, with Donna serving as the vice-captain. The trio weren't that distinct as individuals, but the impact they—and particularly their deaths—had on Lily's story was massive, and their status as close companions of hers earned them attention, especially when her prominence became clear. *''Stuart Stromme'' (forty-first place, one kill) – A football player and bully back at school, Stuart decided to play and attacked Ethan and Bailey under the assumption that, as physically-unimposing nerds, they would be easy targets. This mistake led to his death and set Ethan off on his destructive path. *''Bailey Patrick'' (forty-second place, no kills) – A mathlete and Ethan's girlfriend, Bailey was a sweet, nerdy girl whose early death at the hands of Stuart started Ethan's descent into villainy and ultimately resulted in the deaths of four other students. Summary: For the thirty-fourth season of Survival of the Fittest, a class of fifty students from Jefferson High School in Oldtown, Virginia were selected and removed from an assembly for Senior Class events. The students were sent to Cherry Acres Family Amusement Park in Cherrywood, Ohio. Cherry Acres was a family theme park that had been around since the late 1960s, but had fallen out of popularity in recent years. The arena consisted of the entire park (featuring seven themed areas), the parking lot, and backstage areas such as management offices and staff lounges. The electricity and water at the park were working, but none of the rides could be activated and the water rides did not have any flowing water. As an added twist to this season, students awoke in various areas of the park with collars around their necks and weapons in their hands, but no other equipment provided. All other supplies could be found in the theme park, which was fully stocked with all types of food and gear, although medical supplies were limited to small first aid kits found in various offices and shops. This would force the students to forage and scavenge for supplies throughout the park, in theory encouraging exploration and movement between areas. The game started off normally, with some students making alliances, some going into hiding, and others beginning to play. The largest alliance was one formed by cheerleading captain Lily Harper, consisting of her teammates. Lily awoke inside one of the couple dozen old cars in the parking lot, clutching an empty scrapbook titled "My Cherry Acres Adventure." She wandered around for a bit, eventually uniting and allying with her friends, Donna Radford, Clementine Dawson, and Verna Trenton. The four girls decided to hide in the infrastructure of the Busy Beaver log flume ride, using the ride's multiple railings and hidden control areas to ride out most of the first half of the game. Another promising alliance didn't get time to flourish. Ethan Wallace and Bailey Patrick were a couple who had quickly found each other and agreed to make it to the end together. However, they were surprised by a jock named Stuart Stromme, who attacked them without warning. Ethan tried to fight Stuart, hoping to ensure Bailey's escape, but Stuart took notice of the fleeing Bailey and shot her. Ethan managed use Stuart's distraction to disarm the boy and turn his own weapon on him, killing him. When Ethan rushed to the fallen Bailey, however, he found that she was dead. Ethan swore to survive for her sake, and declared that he wouldn't let anyone get in his way. Meanwhile, other students began to make their marks. Tamara Glenn, knowing she didn't have the physical skills to challenge most of her class in direct physical combat, and armed with only a bag of popcorn kernels, decided the best way to survive was to hunker down and wait as much of the game as possible. Tamara made an office in the back of an arcade her hideout, and went out every so often to find food and supplies. Dewey Tremaine, similarly poorly-armed with just a PEZ Dispenser, took to stalking students, hoping to steal from them when opportunity arose. Lana Robertson, the class valedictorian, also made herself known to be dangerous in the early hours when she killed her friend Anna Vero after pretending to ally with the girl. When she was discovered by Victor Chelan shortly after, she then pretended Anna had attacked her. Victor bought her story, and Lana killed him too when his guard was down. This scored her a handgun and two kills to her name before the first announcement. Rupert Collins and Sofie van der Werff found one another in the Honeycomb Play Area shortly after the first announcement. The duo had dated previously, but had been through a nasty break-up a month before the season. When they met, they fell to arguing, which attracted Andrew Walton to them. Andrew had escaped a run-in with Brent Valmer in which Brent had tried to kill him, and seeing Rupert and Sofie squabbling made him think that there was more chaos going on. Rupert and Sofie tried to calm the boy down, but Andrew attacked them. He nearly pinned Sofie down and tried to stab her, but Rupert managed to overpower and eventually strangle him, taking a few knife slashes to the arm in the process. Sofie patched Rupert up, and the two decided to help one another out and put their relationship issues aside. By the second day, the game was edging towards the halfway point. Lana earned another kill when she murdered Ophelia Amaro for her supplies, and Ethan scored another of his own when he came across Justine Patterson and shot her before she even saw him. A common trend was students trying to take shelter in some of the few enclosed buildings, while others sought hiding places in ride infrastructure rather than risk contesting structures. Mitchell Leo had an infamous moment when he tried to climb the steps of one of the roller coaster hills but tripped, causing him to fall down several flights to his death. Early on the second day, one of the game's turning points occurred. Lily and her friends were still hiding in the log flume ride and had been taking watch in turns and sharing their meager supplies. Ethan made his way to the ride and soon entered the infrastructure. The girls knew from the announcements that he was a killer and tried to respond appropriately, but Ethan noticed them and attacked. He began by shooting Clementine in the face while the other three fled further into the structure of the log flume ride. Ethan gave pursuit, and managed to shoot Verna several times in the back while Lily and Donna made their way to the large drop of the log flume. Ethan chased them and shot Donna in the chest, although she managed to wound him with the pistol she carried. Lily hid behind a rock, but retrieved Donna's gun and prepared herself for Ethan's approach. He soon closed in, but Lily managed to shoot him in the shoulder. The force caused Ethan to stumble and he fell down the large slide. The fall broke his spine and cracked his skull, and he fell into the lake, dead. Lily took Donna's gun and abandoned the structure. She nearly ran into Dewey, who had entered the structure when he heard the gunfire but took off running when he saw Ethan die. Dewey fled the ride, panicking, and ran straight into Rupert and Sofie. Dewey tried to pass Lily off as a dangerous player, but Rupert had a hard time trusting the boy. He remembered Dewey's reputation from back home, particularly how he had been creepy to girls like Sofie, and expressed skepticism. Dewey tried to take advantage of the moment anyways, snatching the bag Rupert carried, which contained his and Sofie's supplies. Rupert chased after Dewey, and the boys became separated from Sofie, who was soon scared off when a fight between Lana and Tamara broke out neaby. Sofie ran away, while Tamara managed to escape from Lana without injury. By the time Rupert lost track of Dewey, he realized he had also lost Sofie, and hurried away to find her. By the end of the second day, the pool of contestants had been reduced to twenty. The game had slowed down a bit following the log flume fight, and most students had taken to scavenging again. This led to an evening of low activity, as many students were exhausted from moving about attempting to procure food and drink. The most notable event of the second evening was the demise of Dewey. After escaping from Rupert, Dewey had taken to hiding along the riverbed. In the middle of the night, he was keeping watch when he heard something creeping along. He tried to be stealthy and sneak over to check it out, but he lost his footing on a hill. He rolled down the slope and hit his head against a tree. This knocked him unconscious, and his momentum caused him to fall into the river, where he drowned. To cap things off, the sound was just caused by a deer that had wandered along the river area, which spurred many memes and jokes about the situation. On the morning of Day Three, Lily came back into play. After surviving the log flume fight, she had wandered around trying to be cautious and tactical without falling into the trap of playing. She soon wandered into the barbecue restaurant and came across Tamara, who was raiding it for food. Tamara, who hadn't appeared on the announcements, was able to lure Lily into a false sense of security. When she saw the opportunity, Tamara made a grab for Lily's gun. The girls ended up fighting over the gun, and as they struggled, Lily accidentally discharged the weapon, shooting Tamara in the chest. Lily tried to help her, but Tamara merely laughed and offered her wares to Lily before dying. Lily took what she could from Tamara's collection and left. By mid-day, the cast had been reduced to the Final Ten. Lana failed to kill Henry Noriega, although Henry soon perished when he ran into Nina Worthington. After she lost track of Henry, Lana was spotted by Rupert. Rupert tried to flee, but Lana pursued him across the park. He tried to lose her by venturing off the park paths, but Lana paced him. When he looked over his shoulder to check on her position, Rupert stumbled over an embankment and twisted his ankle. Lana walked up and shot him in the back a few times, then hurried off to avoid anyone who would be drawn by the gunfire. Rupert held out for a bit before he was discovered by Lily, who approached to try and help him. Rupert knew he was a goner, and said as much. He told Lily to find and protect Sofie, as he had failed her. He also asked Lily to tell Sofie that he was sorry about their break-up and that he always loved her. Lily promised she would, and offered to end Rupert's suffering. He accepted, and Lily mercy-killed him. Endgame rolled around later that day, with the final five being Lily, Lana, Sofie, Davis Parker, and Leif Chambers. Davis and Leif were a pair of friends who had allied early on and promised to not turn on one another. This had helped them through most of the game, as Davis saved Leif from Arthur Gross back on the second day Leif returned the favor by killing Nina right before Endgame. Right before Endgame, Lily encountered Sofie, who was furious that Lily had killed Rupert. Lily explained that it was a mercy killing and that he had been mortally wounded by Lana. Sofie was convinced when Lily related Rupert's final words, which included details Lily could have only known about had Rupert trusted her enough to tell her. Lily made it clear that she didn't want to go home after killing three people, and offered to protect Sofie from Lana and the boys. Sofie wasn't sure if Lily should sacrifice herself for her sake, and told the girl to wait and see how things happened. Endgame was set in the center of the park, amidst a collection of shops and restaurants called Main Street. Davis and Leif arrived first and decided to take cover in the ice cream parlor. As they hurried over, Lana appeared from behind the fountain and opened fire, sending the boys running. Lily and Sofie soon arrived, following the sounds of gunfire, and decided to take cover until the three were done with their firefight. Leif and Davis tried to return fire, but in the confusion, Davis exercised poor trigger discipline and accidentally shot Leif. Davis tried to apologize to his friend, but Leif shot him out of frustration. The two died, leaving Lana—who could see what was going on—surprised, bemused, and on the hunt for Lily and Sofie. The two girls quickly realized that Lana was the survivor of the firefight and that they had to be ready. The pair only had Lily's gun, and limited ammunition. They were soon spotted by Lana, and a fight ensued in the gift shop. Lily tried to lead the attack, with Sofie taking cover, but was shot in the legs several times and collapsed. She tried to crawl away, as Lana closed in, confident she could take Lily out. Before Lana could finish the girl, Sofie suddenly appeared and hurled a coin bank at Lana. The impact threw off Lana's aim, and she spun and fired at this new threat, hitting Sofie in the heart, killing her instantly. Before Lana could turn back, however, Lily brought her own weapon to bear once more, lining up a point blank shot to Lana's head. With that, Lily was declared the season's winner. Lily, mortified that she had failed to protect Sofie and that Sofie sacrificed herself to save her, tried to crawl over to Sofie's body, but soon passed out from the blood loss and was quickly evacuated for treatment. Legacy: *Rated as: Average *Season Thirty-Four was a well-liked season, although it wasn't as popular as other seasons. This was mostly due to a generally uninteresting cast with random peaks of activity. The season was noted for a lot of moments of unintentional comedy, particularly with how accident-prone some of the students (like Mitchell Leo and Dewey Tremaine) were and how that often resulted in death. Cherry Acres received an increase in visitors in the months following the season, as fans wanted to see the place where the game took place. Because of this, Cherry Acres has become more stabilized as a park, and continues to prominently feature SOTF as part of their branding. *Lily Harper was out of commission following her win due to the injuries she sustained in Endgame. She gave an interview from her hospital room, but chose to turn away from the public to focus on her recovery. After months of physical therapy, Lily was able to walk again, although she has to use a cane at all times, forcing her to give up her ambitions to be a professional cheerleader. Lily has distanced herself from SOTF and turns down most appearances and offers, refusing to speak about it in public due to guilt from her actions. She reportedly used some of her earnings to help the families of people she interacted with, namely Sofie, Rupert, Tamara, Donna, Verna, Clementine, and even Ethan and Lana. She currently lives in Roanoke, Virginia and works as an elementary school teacher. *Season Thirty-Four was the beginning of announcer Leonardo Dahnke's run on the show. He made a positive first impression, and was able to wring a good amount of dark humor from the accidental deaths, distinguishing him from Bill Naylor's slightly more measured tone. Suggested by: Laurels Season Thirty-Five Dates: '''Autumn 2014 '''Winner: '''Ashley "Ash" Wilson-Black (two kills) )]] '''Runner Up: Tristan Kim (four kills) Third Place: Cameron Song (three kills) Location: A condemned resort hotel and its grounds on the edge of the Gila National Forest in New Mexico, featuring a casino on the ground floor, a bar and restaurant, and a rooftop pool, as well as a small section of woodland. Notable Participants: *''Ashley "Ash" Wilson-Black'' (winner, two kills) – Handsome, charismatic Ashley was framed as the hero and protagonist of Season Thirty-Five, with much attention given to his group of friends and a seemingly-inevitable confrontation with his best friend Tristan Kim. The attempt at a more focused story with Ashley as protagonist resulted in the neglect of some of the other contestants' screen time, and was a major factor in the failure of Season Thirty-Five's aftermath. *''Tristan Kim'' (runner-up, four kills) – Tristan was Ash Wilson-Black's best friend, and one of the few to bridge the gap between the "Trust Fund Kids" and the "Scholarship Kids" at their school. Arrogant, witty, and possessing a vicious streak that surfaced from time to time, Tristan seemed to have the makings of a star player, but a lull late in the game which he spent caring for his traumatized boyfriend instead of actively playing drew criticism for being "uncommitted," and the circumstances of his death sparked shock and outrage from those who considered him a shoo-in for winner. *''Cameron Song'' (third place, three kills) – Another of the Trust Fund Kids, Cameron was a tactical player, laying low throughout the game and only taking out opponents when there was minimal risk to himself. He entered the finals in the best shape, physically and mentally, but an unexpected team effort between Tristan and Ashley brought him down. *''Sandra Alamar'' (fourth place, one kill) – One of the Scholarship Kids, Sandra laid low throughout the game, scoring her single kill just before Endgame when she opened fire on Tristan Kim and Bill Spencer in revenge for their killing of her friend. Her death is typically considered one of the high points of Season Thirty-Five's late game. *''William "Bill" Spencer'' (sixth place, two kills) – Tristan Kim's boyfriend, Bill was derisively called "Tristan's Ball and Chain" by some fans due to the fact that his presence and eventual retreat into delusion under stress kept Tristan from achieving what they felt was his true potential as a player. Detractors often ignore that he directly saved Tristan's life twice, first by shooting an attacker who came very close to killing Tristan, and then by taking a bullet meant for him just before Endgame. *''Ruby Buchanan'' (eighth place, one kill) – Ruby was Ashley Wilson-Black's girlfriend, who attempted to engineer an escape with him and a few friends. Her efforts met with little success, and she abandoned the plan during the last stage of the game. *''Eva Black'' (thirtieth place, no kills) – Ashley Wilson-Black's cousin, his first kill, and the first death of the season, Eva resented constantly being overshadowed by her more popular cousin despite the fact that it was her family's money that was putting him through school, and attempted to kill him at the beginning of the game. The results of this were exactly opposite her desires. Summary: Season Thirty-Five took place in and around the abandoned Gila Monster Inn, which had been intended as a resort hotel on the edge of the Gila National Forest in New Mexico, but was abandoned and never opened to the public due to budget problems and zoning concerns with the national park nearby. It was a fairly small season, centering on thirty students from Harvey Carr Academy, an exclusive private school in Anaheim, Southern California. Due to the nature of the school, there were several related students involved in the season and a significant divide between the "Trust Fund Kids" and the "Scholarship Kids," many of whom held a mutual disdain for each other. The game lasted roughly three and a half days. The season was notable for a concentrated attempt at a more focused story, one of the reasons behind the smaller cast; a rugby player named Ashley "Ash" Wilson-Black seemed to exhibit early heroic potential, and the executives latched onto him, turning much recap and digest focus upon him and his close-knit friend group (though the live streams still offered a wide overview of the game). There was much build-up to his eventual showdown with best friend Tristan Kim, who was held up as the season's main villain. The action that first drew the executives' focus came as Ash had barely awoken; no sooner had he gotten his bearings than he was set upon by his cousin, Eva Black. The pair had long-standing animosity towards each other, with Eva constantly reminding Ashley that it was her immediate family's influence that had gotten him his scholarship at their school and resenting his charisma and popularity. The show gave Eva what she felt was the perfect opportunity to push Ashley out of the spotlight once and for all, and she accosted him with her assigned hockey stick, intending to kill him and claim self-defense. This plan was stopped in its tracks almost immediately due to the fact that Ashley had been assigned a six-shot revolver; Eva had not considered his potential weapon draw before attacking. The kill—featuring Ashley frantically scooting backwards on the ground towards his bag as Eva whaled on him with her hockey stick until he retrieved his gun and shot her in the face—was considered both exciting and somewhat humorous, and started the season on a high note. Elsewhere, a meeting of Trust Fund Kids consisting of Tristan Kim, Cameron Song, William "Bill" Spencer, Katerina Petrova, and Ash's girlfriend, Ruby Buchanan, quickly went downhill. Ruby was adamant that they should team up and find a way to escape. Tristan established both his personality and exactly what he thought of that plan by yelling directly in Ruby's face with his assigned megaphone before stalking off with Bill in tow. Cameron also left shortly afterwards, but Ruby and Katerina stuck together, determined to find Ashley and their other friends and formulate an escape plan. Though it was initially assumed that Bill followed Tristan because he was a particularly loyal lackey, once the two were alone it quickly became apparent that they were romantically involved. Bill wanted to find his stepbrother, Xavier, but Tristan convinced him to hole up in one of the hotel rooms until the first announcement. Shortly after the announcement, Bill told Tristan that they should split up and not meet up again for the remainder of the game, as he didn't want to face the possibility that one of them would have to kill the other. They had a brief argument, but Tristan relented, obviously hurt and angry as he left. Bill would go back on his own words later and look for Tristan again after the boy's first kills were announced, presumably feeling responsible for him. Ruby and Katerina met up with Ashley not long after the announcement, both finding themselves sympathetic when he explained what had led to his killing of Eva. Ashley's rugby teammates, Lester Atterman and Jeremy Jenson, joined up with the three later that evening, forming the season's best-known group. It didn't take long for Ash to become the de-facto leader, and he showed a willingness both to compromise when necessary and to take action for the safety of the group. Things were fairly quiet until the early hours of the morning before the second announcement. One of the Scholarship Kids, Everett Quinn, came across Tristan sulking at the edge of the woods, which had been made a Danger Zone. Everett, armed with a chainsaw, didn't hesitate to threaten and mock Tristan, who responded with similar ire. Tristan moved Everett to attack by insulting his family, but Everett's cumbersome weapon was more of a hindrance than a help. A lucky dodge from Tristan resulted in the chainsaw's blade striking and getting stuck in a nearby tree, and Everett abandoned his weapon and engaged Tristan with his fists. The two of them struggled on the edge of the Danger Zone until their grappling sent them into it, where they continued to struggle for some time. As the beeping of their collars escalated, Tristan stunned Everett with a headbutt and dove clear of the Danger Zone, kicking the other boy back into its borders repeatedly as he tried to stumble after his opponent and causing Everett's collar to detonate. While not directly credited for Everett's death due to the role of the Danger Zone, Tristan was implicated by the announcement and it is generally counted among his kills by fans. Tristan dislodged the chainsaw from the tree before leaving the area and improbably went on to use it to bludgeon his next victim as she slept, intending to conserve its fuel as much as possible. The editing of the highlight reels repeatedly cut between Ashley's and Tristan's actions, building them up as foils for each other, particularly focusing on Ashley's disturbed reaction to hearing his best friend announced as a two-time killer and his struggle to justify Tristan's actions to himself and the members of his group. The second morning saw some notable developments; Ruby accidentally detonated Katerina's collar while trying to remove it, and Jeremy freaked out and attacked her in response. Ashley came to her defense and had to shoot Jeremy when the boy continued his assault. For a moment, it looked like their fledgling escape group would collapse, but Lester opted to stick with them despite the deaths, and Ash was able to rally their spirits. Tristan, meanwhile, had taken refuge in the woods after their Danger Zone status was cleared, unaware that he was being stalked by then-top-killer Roland Harper and that Bill was also following from a distance. Elsewhere, Bill's stepbrother, Xavier Spencer, died after being thrown from the hotel's roof by Karl Michaelson, and Ruby's best friend, Angie Gillespie, succumbed to injuries that Roland had inflicted on her earlier. Both of these deaths would deeply affect other participants in the game when announced, and both received more focus and screen time in the recaps than many others before that point. Roland ambushed Tristan when the latter stopped to rest in a clearing, though he didn't act quickly enough to keep Tristan from retaliating. The two engaged in a duel that was one of the season's most memorable moments, Tristan armed with the chainsaw and Roland with a nail-studded baseball bat. A hasty attack by Tristan during a perceived opening allowed Roland to parry the blade with his bat, disarming them both and leading to another fistfight. This time it was clear that Tristan was at a disadvantage, as Roland easily overpowered him and began to strangle him. What seemed to be a sure kill was interrupted by a gunshot and Roland suddenly toppling over in a shower of blood and brain matter, as the camera panned over to reveal Bill emerging from the trees. There was a moment of levity as a half-conscious Tristan incomprehensibly expressed his annoyance that Bill had concealed the gun from him earlier, with Bill casually responding, "I love you too and you're welcome, idiot." They embraced, and Bill helped treat Tristan's injuries before they left the woods. Cameron Song also began making a name for himself towards the end of the second day, quietly slitting the throat of Hera Jones while she kept watch without alerting her sleeping partner, Ronald Hagen, whom he dispatched in a similar way. The third day's peaceful morning was shattered by the announcement. Bill practically went catatonic upon hearing that Xavier had died, and Angie's death sent Ruby into hysterics that culminated in her despairingly declaring that she couldn't go on with the escape plan. Things were compounded by the fact that only ten students remained alive, spurring a few to begin seriously playing to win. Among these was Karl Michaelson, who had the misfortune of stumbling across Tristan and Bill in the hotel's lobby. Before either Karl or Tristan could react, Bill shot Karl in the leg and held him at gunpoint, first demanding to know why he had killed Xavier and then ordering Karl to beg for his life if he wanted to go free. Karl cooperated but Bill emptied the gun into him anyway and was left laughing and crying madly while Tristan watched in stunned silence. Bill's breakdown initially seemed to promise excitement, but once he calmed down he entered a dazed, delusional state that he would remain in until his death, being led around by Tristan instead of either of them actively doing anything. Tristan and Bill encountered Ash, Ruby, and Lester on the hotel's rooftop after the evening announcements, and the trio were put off by Bill's manner and the fact that he was responsible for the only announced kill that morning. Lester was aggressive and suspicious; Tristan coldly blowing him off angered him enough for him to get into Tristan's face with threats. Tristan reacted by pistol-whipping him with Bill's empty handgun and shoving him away, fleeing back inside with Bill as Lester toppled off the roof. Ashley pursued them, confronting Tristan in a tense stand-off. Tristan bluffed Ashley with the empty gun, relying on his best friend's morals and caution to keep him from shooting. When neither proved willing to attack, both lowered their guns. They quietly conversed about the last few days, and Ash showed sympathy for Bill's sorry state, though he claimed that he couldn't justify or forgive Tristan's actions during the game. Tristan replied that he didn't expect Ash to forgive him and stated that the next time they met, one of them would have to die. Ashley allowed them to retreat to a room without further incident, clearly troubled by all that had happened. Ashley encountered further tragedy upon returning to the roof; left alone in the immediate aftermath of Lester's death, Ruby had given in to her despair and jumped to her death. Ash openly mourned for his friends, both those who had died and those he considered lost like Tristan and Bill, before promising that he would do his best to make their sacrifices meaningful. As night fell again, Cameron got his third kill by ambushing Thomas Rehn in the casino, leaving six students alive: himself, Ashley, Tristan, Bill, fellow low-key player Colin Greene, and Sandra Alamar, a Scholarship Kid and friend of Roland Harper who had managed to lay low throughout the game. The night was turbulent. Just about at the end of his rope with the state Bill was in, Tristan attempted to smother him with a pillow while he slept, but Bill awoke and began to struggle. Tristan lost his nerve and broke down sobbing, babbling an apology. Bill, for his part, seemed more confused than anything by the outburst. Sandra, attracted by the noise and recognizing their voices, burst into the room and opened fire with her rifle, intending to avenge Roland. Out of instinct, or perhaps in a last lucid moment, Bill shielded Tristan and was fatally wounded. Sandra escaped and hid while Tristan grieved, though he immediately set out to pursue her with chainsaw in hand upon regaining his bearings. Shortly afterwards, Colin quietly passed away from an infected wound that he had neglected to treat. Endgame began at midnight and took place in the bar and restaurant area. Action occurred almost immediately upon the finalists' arrival, with Sandra and Tristan spotting each other from across the restaurant. Sandra opened fire, grazing Tristan, but he charged straight at her without regard for self-preservation, causing her to retreat. He reached her as she tried to reload, and achieved what many consider his most impressive kill and the highlight of Endgame, finally revving the chainsaw and tearing Sandra to pieces. As Tristan caught his breath in the aftermath, Cameron made himself known and attacked with his combat knife, managing to catch Tristan off-guard and slash his face. For the second time, Tristan was overpowered and seemed to be done for and for the second time, he was unexpectedly saved, this time by Ashley emerging from cover behind the bar and shooting Cameron in the back. Tristan took advantage of this to try and wrest control of the knife from Cameron, severely slicing his own hand to the point of losing a finger in the process. Ash's second shot missed, but the distraction proved enough for Tristan to get hold of the knife and cut Cameron's throat. Ash fully emerged from behind the bar as Cameron died. He and Tristan silently regarded each other for a long moment before Ash offered his hand and helped Tristan to his feet and over to a barstool. He set his revolver on the bar, occupied with steadying Tristan, who was bleeding badly and appeared ready to faint. Tristan took advantage of Ashley's momentary lapse in judgment to snatch up the gun, which had one bullet left. Instead of Tristan immediately shooting as expected, however, Tristan and Ashley's infamous final conversation ensued. Tristan suggested that the thought to shoot while his guard was down had probably never crossed Ashley's mind. Ashley confirmed that it hadn't. Tristan smiled and stated that Ashley was a better person and better friend than he himself had been, which Ashley half-heartedly protested. Seeing that Ashley wasn't making a move to try and take the gun back, Tristan sighed and bade him farewell, saying, "See you on the other side, brother," before shooting himself in the head. As he toppled to the floor, both Ashley and many viewers at home sat in shocked silence until Ashley broke down crying over his best friend's body, remaining like that until the extraction crew arrived. Legacy: *Rated as: Poor *Season Thirty-Five is sometimes referred to as "The Forgotten Season;" the focus on a storyline centering on Ashley Wilson-Black and Tristan Kim backfired when Ashley proved to be an extremely uncooperative winner, refusing any prizes or money and angrily speaking out against the show even in his first post-season interviews. Tristan's divisive status among fans was only worsened by his game-deciding suicide, and his family used their considerable wealth and influence to hamper and sometimes harass those related to the show, especially retail and merchandise outlets that used Tristan's image. The lack of good publicity led to more vocal criticism of the season than usual; among others there were complaints of the editing's narrow focus neglecting potentially entertaining contestants, including the third-and-fourth-place finalists; the season's casting heavily favoring boys over girls; and criticism from environmentalist groups for holding the game so close to a national forest. Though an extended cut featuring more even-handed editing was eventually released on DVD, the runaway success of Season Thirty-Seven just months later effectively let Season Thirty-Five fall into obscurity, where the producers have been content to let it remain for the most part. *Ashley Wilson-Black dropped out of high school and was self-admitted to a psychiatric hospital for a year following the game. Upon his release, he completed his GED and quietly went to work; he now owns an auto repair and mechanics shop and keeps his personal life very private. Publicly, he continues to be a vehement anti-SOTF activist, speaking at protests and rallies and openly feuding with celebrities who embrace SOTF culture. His efforts are openly backed by the Kim family, with whom he has remained close and who fund his living expenses when money gets tight. Suggested by: backslash Season Thirty-Six Dates: ''' 2014 '''Winner: '''Unknown '''Runner Up: Third Place: Location: Notable Participants: * Summary: Legacy: * Suggested by: Category:SOTF-TV Lore Category:SOTF-TV